Monitoring process to continue in Uganda - EU Observers

Under close watch of the police, European Union observers in Uganda met with Forum for Democratic Change party officials hours after party leader Kizza Besigye was arrested outside his premises.

The meeting was held at the FDC party headquarters. The EU observers said they are yet to finish their work in the country.

“We are still observing elections so its not like over for us. A process of tallying and declaration of results is very important part of the electoral process as anything else. We still have our thirty observers in the field and they are staying until the end of February and maybe longer if necessary to observe the electoral process,” said Marian Gabriel, Deputy Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission.

Besigye was under house arrest since Friday last week.

He was arrested on Monday as he attempted to visit the election commission’s headquarters in Kampala to get detailed copies of the presidential election results.

International observers have criticised the country’s electoral body saying it lacked transparency and independence, as it favoured President Museveni’s NRM party to win the elections.

He has however denied the allegations saying that he doesn’t need lectures from the EU observers.

71-year-old Museveni seized power in 1986 having been in office for 30 years now.

The election commission announced Saturday that president Museveni won the vote with more than 60 percent while Besigye got 35 percent.